Daily Archives: August 19, 2014

Well, the liberal news media, that so often slant and hide the facts, managed to get it half right when they described Michael Brown, the Ferguson, Missouri thug killed by the police. Hardly the “gentle” sort, the 6’4″ 292 lb. man was a giant, but the liberal news media all decided to call him a gentle giant because it sounded so nice. And Michael Brown proved what he was capable of doing when he lifted and tossed a convenience store clerk during a robbery that was caught on video shortly before his encounter with the police. And before getting shot, Michael Brown inflicted serious injury on Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson. Gateway Pundit reported, ” Local St. Louis sources said Wilson suffered an “orbital blowout fracture to the eye socket.” This comes from a source within the Prosecuting Attorney’s office and confirmed by the St. Louis County Police.” Furthermore, describing the slanted news coverage, according to the Media Research Center, the various stories coming from the Associated Press describing Michael Brown as a “teen” and “teenager” are in stark contravention with the AP’s own Style Book that requires reporters to refer to a person 18-years old or older as a “man” or “woman” and not a teenager.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is as much of a black racist as Malik Shabazz, leader of the New Black Panthers and any of those who traveled to Ferguson, Missouri to incite the riots that have engulfed the city since the August 9th shooting. Holder, who previously ordered his DOJ attornies to squash the complaints aginst the New Black Panthers for voter intimidation, has ordered his Dept. of Justice to conduct a third autopsy on Michael Brown. Hoping to find some hidden clues that can be used to challenge the facts already revealed. Eye-witnesses to the shooting say that Michael Brown and his friend were walking down the middle of the street when Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson pulled up in his police cruiser and told him to get off the street. The initial fight between Brown and Police Officer Wilson began when Officer Wilson tried to get out of his cruiser and Brown shoved him back inside. CNN reported “When Wilson tried to get out of his cruiser, Brown first tried to push the officer back into the car, then punched him in the face and grabbed for his gun before breaking free after the gun went off once, the caller said.” It is not clear if that first shot struck Brown or not. The Medical Examiner did not say if any powder burns were found on Brown or his shirt which suggests that Brown was some distance away when he was hit by Officer Wilson’s bullets.

Then Michael Brown began to run away but stopped when Officer Wilson ordered him to freeze. But then, with all of his huge size, Brown turned around and lowered his head and charged full speed some 30-50 feet at the police officer. It was then that Officer Wilson shot him six times. The first two autopsies showed Brown received four bullet wounds to his right arm and two bullet wounds to his head. One of the head wounds was straight down indicating Brown’s head was in a lowered, charging position, not unlike the position of a front line football player.

The complete toxicology report on Michael Brown hasn’t been completed or released yet but it was revealed yesterday that Brown had marijuana in his system which could further explain his belligerent attitude.

The liberal news media immediately sprang into action as they did in Florida when George Zimmerman, a volunteer neighborhood watch captain shot Trayvon Martin after he was viciously attacked. The police were labeled as racists and Michael Brown was bemoaned as an innocent gentle giant who was loved by everyone and who wouldn’t hurt a fly. None of the liberal news media coverage was substantiated by facts and what little information came to light was leaked out in dribs and drabs by local officials. It was the conservative bloggers who began to uncover the real story. Here is the account as posted on the IJReview blog. Go read the entire story there.

A previously unnoticed detail in a background conversion of a video taken minutes after the Ferguson shooting could change the course of the investigation into Mike Brown’s death.

The original video poster appears sympathetic to the narrative that Mike Brown was shot unarmed with his hands in the air. But he unknowingly picks up conversation between a man who saw the altercation and another neighbor.

An approximate transcription of the background conversation, as related by the “Conservative Treehouse” blog, who originally discovered the conversation:

@6:28/6:29 of video

#1 How’d he get from there to there?

#2 Because he ran, the police was still in the truck – cause he was like over the truck

{crosstalk}

#2 But him and the police was both in the truck, then he ran – the police got out and ran after him

{crosstalk}

#2 Then the next thing I know he doubled back toward him cus – the police had his gun drawn already on him –

So after being wounded by the not so gentle giant, and now seeing him charging back to renew his attack, Ferguson Police Office Darren Wilson began firing his weapon in self defense. The last of the six shots were to Michael Brown’s head which were the killing shots so the first shots must have been to his arm to stop him but were ineffective. Michael Brown finally fell to the ground dead only a few feet away.

I have never sympathized with the overly militarized tactics of local police forces or their use of the armored tanks brought into Ferguson to quell the riots but this incident was clearly a case of self-defense.

“He was tortured, beaten to death, strangled and then set on fire,” Laura Wilkerson said earlier this month in McAllen, Texas. She was recalling her beloved 18-year-old son Josh, who was brutally murdered by illegal alien Hermilio Moralez in November 2010.

The details of Josh Wilkerson’s murder are gruesome: Moralez, in the United States illegally from Belize, violently kicked Wilkerson in the stomach, slicing both his liver and spine and rupturing his spleen. The illegal alien then proceeded to beat Wilkerson over the head with a closet rod with such force that the rod ultimately shattered in four pieces. With Wilkerson defenseless and motionless, Moralez then took two dollars from Wilkerson’s wallet, purchased gasoline, and set Wilkerson’s motionless body aflame. His mugshot reveals a young man smiling smugly. Later, at Moralez’s trial, the illegal alien would speak from the stand about how he was a “trained killer” and that his “killing instincts” had taken over. There was no remorse.

Young Josh Wilkerson is just another life lost and another cost paid in a long list of lives lost and costs paid because Washington, D.C. policymakers continue to fail to do what logic and all sensibility dictate should have been done decades ago: Securing the United States border with Mexico so that illegals are not afforded illegal access to the United States.

The U.S. federal government’s multi-decade failure to secure its 1,989-mile border with Mexico might well stand as the most glaring example of both parties’ ongoing refusal to be responsive to the American people’s overwhelming belief that American border security (as Josh Wilkerson’s murder demonstrated) is now perhaps the most critical issue facing the nation, presenting increasingly grave economic, security and other threats.

It’s worth asking the obvious question: With more than 35,000 illegals monthly now crossing the border into the U.S., why exactly has this border not been sealed? Laughingly, the Obama administration has said that the border with Mexico is more secure than it has ever been. It’s a sentiment shared by Congressional Democrats. “The border is secure,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid absurdly stated last month. Other policymakers acknowledge the obvious, but obfuscate the issue, speaking wrongly of supposedly insurmountable challenges associated with keeping illegals from entering the country illegally.

The reality, of course, is the very opposite. The U.S. border with Mexico is consciously not secure because (for decades now) both parties have seen a political self-interest in ensuring it is left unsecured. Democrats, envisioning ultimately granting citizenship to these illegals, see the influx as politically advantageous: Millions of largely government and benefit-dependent illegals who, once afforded amnesty, will (Democrats believe) represent a groundswell of additional votes for their party and its candidates, possibly ushering in generations of Democrat victories in national and regional elections. Similarly, some Republicans, influenced by the desire of some private sector forces to attract cheap, illegal and sometimes sub-minimum wage labor resources, see the influx as a means to breaking organized labor and serving as a deflationary force in the largely blue collar and labor positions these illegals are likely to assume. Never stated openly, the reality is that the U.S. does have a policy on the border, and it is–scandalously–to keep it open.

In many respects, it is exactly this sort of unresponsiveness of elected officials to the concerns of the American people that gave birth to America’s Tea Party movement in 2009. Five years later, the practical reality of Washington’s unresponsiveness is such that this crisis may now well be left to the Tea Party movement to solve. Should the Tea Party embrace this cause, as it must, the movement likely will be largely shunned by Washington elites, but they will have an ally in the American people, who see the seriousness of it, resoundingly support logical conclusions and importantly believe this administration has been at least complicit and possibly even a force behind the latest influx of illegals that now threatens the nation.

Support for border security and opposition to amnesty is broadly popular. In a Rasmussen Poll taken last month, on July 17, a clear majority of likely voters (59 percent) were clear: They want those who have entered this country illegally to be returned to their home countries. And the American people are under no illusions about who holds the blame for the current border crisis: Another Rasmussen poll, also taken last month, found that nearly half of likely voters (46 percent) believe the Obama administration, through its policies and statements, has contributed to the crisis. An overwhelming majority of Americans (58 percent, according to the same poll) believe the top priority in the crisis is for the U.S. to gain control of its border.

The arguments for urgently securing the border with Mexico and opposing Washington’s amnesty initiatives are extensive and they strike at the very heart of the issues that most concern Americans:

1.) National security. The American people have patiently undergone extensive and intrusive governmental measures since the September 11, 2011 attacks, ostensibly designed to protect the country against an al-Qaeda or al-Qaeda-aligned terrorist attack. They can be forgiven for asking a reasonable question: What point exists in prohibiting American citizens from boarding U.S. airlines with, say, 3.5 ounces of non-flammable liquid, as opposed to the mandated 3.4 ounces, when literally any non-citizen–including the bloodiest of terrorists–can simply walk across our southern border?

As it is today, our government cannot answer basic questions about the flood of illegals across our border. How many illegals exactly have crossed the border and are in this country? There are only estimates (more than 12 million and as many as 20 million). Where in the U.S. are these illegals located exactly? Answer: Just about everywhere, but no government agency can say exactly. And how many of these millions have crossed the border illegally with malicious intentions for this country? We do know that they have included members of a broad range of global terrorist movements, violent gangs (including arguably the most violent, MS-13) and felony criminals, including murderers, violent criminals, rapists, and sexual offenders. And even when (by good fortune alone) they have been detained, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have released thousands of these illegal felons into the general U.S. population. As evidence of the utter lack of border security to criminals and potential terrorists, videographer James O’Keefe last week released video of him crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico into the U.S. dressed as Osama bin Laden. What barriers did O’Keefe encounter in entering the U.S. dressed as the infamous al-Qaeda terror leader? None.

2.)Jobs. America’s job crisis is vastly worse than what one might gather from the numbers released monthly by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, which systematically exclude the many millions of Americans who comprise the long-term unemployed and those who have simply given up looking for work. Including these, there are roughly 102 million working-age Americans without jobs as of August 2014, an all-time high and growing. A stunning study released by the Center for Immigration Studies this past June found that all of the net gain in American jobs created since 2000 has gone to illegal and legal immigrants—that is, there has been no job growth for 14 years for native U.S. citizens.

It is absurd that we must state the obvious: Basic supply and demand economics indicate that granting amnesty to the estimated 12 to 20 million illegals now in this country will only further exacerbate the U.S. employment crisis, both adding to the existing number of jobless Americans and also contributing to wage deflation (lower pay) as a greater number of Americans compete for a fewer number of existing jobs. As such, it should not prove surprising that sealing the border and opposing amnesty are agenda items very high on the agenda of traditionally progressive constituencies, including labor unions and African-Americans, both of whom correctly see amnesty and a failure to secure the border as a recipe for higher unemployment and wage deflation, especially in traditional blue collar and lower wage occupations.

3.) Public resources. It is perhaps the greatest irony of all that progressives who clamor for vastly greater federal and state funding for health care, education, transportation and other public services are also those spearheading the opposition to border security initiatives and amnesty support. The influx of millions of illegals has only made all of these mounting problems worse as illegals consume these resources (and, of course, pay no offsetting federal or state taxes in exchange for them).

4.) Fairness. Many millions of foreigners from all over the world are, right now, legally seeking U.S. citizenship. The legal process to obtain U.S. citizenship is largely cumbersome, bureaucratic and lengthy, but many follow this process exactly and patiently as required. Under amnesty proposals, however, these foreigners, those we might call “legal immigrants,” continue waiting in their foreign lands as those who crossed our southern border in violation of U.S. federal law are rewarded with U.S. residency, access to many of our country’s public benefits and infrastructure, and ultimately citizenship. These illegals will enjoy the backing of an entire U.S. political lobby that (motivated almost exclusively by its own selfish political and economic agendas) seeks to reward their lawless entry with the same highly-coveted U.S. citizenship denied those now following the process legally.

5.) Will of the American people. There are few issues on which Americans are more united than the fact that the borders of the country should be secure and that those who enter this country illegally in violation of U.S. federal law should not, in turn, be rewarded. The American people remain understandably compassionate towards those fleeing tyranny, but they are united in their logical, on-target conclusion that open borders and amnesty are harming the U.S. in multiple ways. Indeed, perhaps never before in the modern history of the conservative movement, has there been such an enticing opportunity for conservatives (and now the Tea Party movement) to build political alliances with unions, minorities and low-wage workers than there is right now in supporting an urgent securing of the U.S. border and opposing amnesty, showing that the Tea Party and conservative movements stand with working Americans and the rule of law.

Of course, all of these are facts lost on most Washington policymakers who are increasingly disengaged from the sentiments and concerns of the American people they purport to represent. Americans in 2014 are hurting. Failing to secure the border and granting amnesty to millions of illegals stands to further inflame these problems: damaging the already anemic U.S. job market, increasing crime and the demand on public resources, and perhaps even opening the door for what Americans have feared most since September 11, 2001: a coordinated terrorist attack on the U.S. mainland. These are deadly serious problems. But a political movement that can, right now, understand and communicate these facts with the urgency they require is likely to find broad support among the American people.

Book Review: “Amy Lynn” by Jack July: a Character Study in True Virtue

I must admit, I felt trepidation over reading a book named after its main character, but you can’t judge a book by its name. However, combined with the cover of a little girl with an assault rifle, you can judge a book by its cover.

Blurb for “Amy Lynn:” Come fall in love with a little Southern Christian Girl as well as her eclectic family as she grows into a woman, a very special woman with very special skills. Life is a journey, Amy Lynn takes a wild one.
As suggested by the above, Amy Lynn is no ordinary girl, yet she somehow transcends into an every girl, in which anyone can relate to at least one of her experiences, but probably not all. During the first third or so, I would make the book mandatory reading for any grade to middle school girl, but the book takes dark turns not necessarily suitable for children. The book also carries a disclaimer warning readers less than 16 years of age.

Adults, however, will find that as the subject matter gets deeper, they are more pulled into the story and invested in the future of the Braxton family. Amy herself is part what we all are, and part what we all wish we could be. But what truly makes the story stand out is all the challenges Amy faces and how they take a toll on her while building her up. Her family is also a huge influence from the prostitute-turned-benefactor Carlo Jo to the uncle formerly known as “Hatchet Jack.”

Unlike other stories that paint small town Southerners to their respective extremes of inbred hicks OR most humble, polite people in the world, “Amy Lynn” features the best and worst of both, and remembers above all else that Southerners are people first, not clichés.

The last third of the book truly picks up the pace, and I found myself neglecting other things in order to finish, so don’t despair if you’re not hooked right away, you will be! At only $3.99 on Amazon, it is well worth the cost.

I also have it on good authority that a second book is in the works from Jack July. (Hooray!)

More on “Amy Lynn”:

Find it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Amy-Lynn-Jack-July-ebook/dp/B00B8CKJI2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408466862&sr=8-1&keywords=amy+lynn

“The Enemies Within: Communists, Socialists and Progressives in the U.S. Congress” is like no other book written on American politics. The book exposes, in layman’s terms, the comprehensive communist, socialist and extreme progressive infiltration of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate.

The book profiles fourteen Senators and more than fifty Representatives and their ties to Communist Party USA, Democratic Socialists of America, Workers World Party, and The Institute for Policy Studies, Council for a Livable World and other radical anti-American organizations. Trevor has done the hard work to connect the dots of why the US Congress has moved further and further left over our lifetime and you won’t want to miss him. The Mid-Terms are coming. It’s time to clean House — and Senate! Get yourself prepared with the facts.

Ukraine’s next crisis will be a devastatingly economic one, as violent conflict destroys critical infrastructure in the east and brings key industry to a halt, furthering weakening the energy sector by crippling coal-based electricity production.

The Ukrainian military’s showdown with separatists in the industrial east has forced coal mines to severely cut production or close down entirely. This has led to an electricity crisis that can only be staunched by cutting domestic production along with exports to Europe, Crimea, and Belarus — or worse, getting more imports from Russia.

In the coal centers of Ukraine’s industrial east—Luhansk and Donetsk—fighting has forced the full closure of an estimated 50 percent of coal mines, while overall coal production has fallen 22 percent over the same period last year.

Key industry sources say they will potentially run out of coal in less than three weeks.

For Ukraine, the second largest producer of coal in Europe, this will have a devastating impact on the energy sector, which is in a state of emergency, unable to get coal to thermal power plants that provide some 40 percent of the entire country’s electricity.

In the wider energy picture, the halt of coal production sets Ukraine back a decade. The plan was to rely more on coal in order to reduce dependence on Russian natural gas.

But the new reality has insiders wondering how Ukraine will produce more of its own natural gas, after the implementation earlier this month of an amended tax code that targets private gas producers with a tax so high that they will significantly reduce production through the end of the year and beyond that is anyone’s guess. (Full disclosure: my firm, Pelicourt LLC, is the majority shareholder of Ukraine’s third-largest gas producer, Cub Energy, and I have advised the U.S. and Canadian governments on the potential harm the new tax will cause.)

Economically, the conflict in the east is a disaster for Ukraine, which has traditionally been a net exporter of thermal coal for power generation. Now it will have to increase imports of fuel to make up for the loss. But even then, the destruction of supply routes makes this challenging.

Not only have coal supply routes been destroyed in the conflict, but other critical infrastructure has taken a hit as well, threatening other industries.

Across the board, Ukraine’s industrial heartland is reeling from cut-off supply and shipping chains that threaten to destroy as much as 5 percent of Ukraine’s gross domestic product in the second half of this year.

In the meantime, observers can be forgiven their confusion over various measures Kiev has taken since the intensification of the conflict. Indeed, the signals coming out of Kiev have been mixed, at best.

While parliament has passed a bill allowing for sanctions against Russia, the state-run Naftogaz leadership has been quick to point out that we probably shouldn’t expect sanctions against Russian gas giant Gazprom, and the new bill doesn’t implement sanctions of any kind—it simply makes it legal to slap sanctions on Russian individuals should Kiev decide to do so. Another paper tiger.

Parliament has also adopted a bill approving the joint-venture lease of Ukraine’s gas-transit facilities with Western firms.

At the same time, however, Kiev passed a new amendment to the tax code that doubles taxes for private gas producers and promises to keep Western investors as far away from Ukraine as they can get.

Each move is designed to negate the other. The economy is being destroyed, yet Kiev is itself destroying any chance of bringing in Western investment to prop it up. Western firms are invited to invest in Ukraine, while at the same time Ukraine makes a mockery of transparency and ensures that the investment climate is suddenly even less attractive than it was two weeks ago. Lip service is paid to developing more resources to build energy independence, but a new tax doubles costs for private producers who will stop producing and pick up stakes.

It’s hard not to conclude that Energy Minister Yuriy Prodan is working hard to discourage new investment in the energy sector.